


Making a House a Home

by freshcutprinces



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Paganism, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23522650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freshcutprinces/pseuds/freshcutprinces
Summary: Hubert suffers Ferdinand's terrible taste in music and Ferdinand has to accept Hubert's rather questionable decorating choices, but somehow they make it work.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> The rating of the story will vary by chapter.
> 
> Part One: General  
> Part Two: Mature (warning for sex)  
> Part Three: Teen (warning for descriptions of non-sexual nudity)

**OO1. Burning**

The first candles Ferdinand has set ablaze in their newly furnished apartment had smelled of baked goods. Cinnamon and sugar wrapped in the confectionery illusion of cookies and pies, with some spicy smell that Hubert assumed was artificial. Needless to say, he absolutely hated it and he made his opinion known right off the bat.

Ferdinand took it in stride, however, and told Hubert he would try something else. He smiled and accepted it as a challenge to find a scent profile that his boyfriend would enjoy. If the smell of sweets were out, he could always move onto florals next!

And so next came the smell of roses and gardenias and a conglomeration of flowers that smelled more like an impending migraine than anything of note to Hubert. As he laid on the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stave off the headache that was creeping up on him, Ferdinand began to blow out each of the candles he’d lit in the apartment (two in the kitchen, three in the living room, one in the bedroom, and even one in the bathroom). Maybe it was a bit overkill, now that he thought about it…

Well, no matter! His next attempt was “clean” smells, as he called them. Fresh linens, lavender and lemon, and a touch of eucalyptus in the bedroom to create a calming atmosphere as they slept. And this time Hubert finally approve of at least one of the scents (the eucalyptus, specifically), but he said the others just didn’t really do anything for him in particular.

At his wit’s end, Ferdinand finally heaved a dramatic sigh and grabbed his keys off the counter before taking his boyfriend’s hand and pulling him up off the couch.

“Alright, you must come with me this time! I’ve failed too many times, and while I do not want to give up, some assistance would be appreciated.”

And so they climbed into Ferdinand’s car and drove to a small candle store nestled in a corner of downtown. It was always quiet inside, with gentle atmospheric music playing over the speakers. As they made their way over to one wall of candles, Ferdinand pushed Hubert forward and gestured to the wall.

“Alright, let’s get to smelling!” Ferdinand made it sound like a demand, but Hubert knew he was going to be assisted as they shopped around. Still, he picked one at random off the self, something light blue that smelled vaguely like ozone mixed with floor cleaner, and he placed it back with a grimace. “Really? You don’t like Morning Rays? That’s one of my favorites.”

They moved throughout the store with Hubert grabbing at candles randomly, not entirely knowing what he was looking for. The process was taking too long for his liking. Before he lived with Ferdinand he was content to just light incense every once in a while, but candles had never really interested him (other than the ones he used in spells). But this, it seemed, was one of the first compromises they were going to have to make together.

“Ferdinand this seems pointless. I’m not finding anything I enjoy.” Hubert grimaced as another particularly wretched candle pierced his senses (bright pink and smelling of straight sugar and a Victorian-era harlot).

“Hmmm, well maybe we’re going about this the incorrect way. We’re just grabbing things at random. So tell me Hubert,” Ferdinand turned to his boyfriend with a gentle smile, “What kind of smells do you enjoy? What makes you feel at home? For me it has always been my mother’s baked goods, so cinnamon and nutmeg and other spices made me feel at home, but everyone is different. Some people feel comfortable in the smell of gardens, surrounded by roses, like my college roommate Lorenz. And I have it on good authority that Dorothea really likes fruity smelling candles, like Macintosh apples and fresh berries. So what smells make you feel at home, at peace?”

As he listened to Ferdinand, Hubert tried to think of an answer. When did he feel the most at home? What could he recall?

His mind went back to night spent in the forests by his college, taking hikes late into the night even though he knew it was not safe. The sounds of the owls in the trees, and the leaves and pine needles rustling overhead. And he recalled only being able to see small swathes of the forest with his flashlight as he walked, looking for a good place to set up a small altar for his evening plans. And the smell at that time…

“Evergreens. I like the smell of evergreens and the forests.” Hubert’s eyes met with Ferdinand’s and the amber-haired man instantly brightened at the answer. Stepping away from Hubert for a moment, Ferdinand grabbed a basket from the front of the store before leading his boyfriend to a row of candles.

“Okay, then you’ll definitely love this one here! It’s called Blue Spruce Wonderland!” Ferdinand popped the lid off the candle and held it out to Hubert, who took a quick smell and nodded his approval. Ferdinand’s smile brightened significantly. “Okay, wonderful! Next, I think we should look at the Bayberry Breeze candle! Oh, and there’s also an Autumn Nights candle that they usually carry all year, so that should fit nicely with the profile we’re creating, along with…”

And Hubert couldn’t help the loving look he sent his boyfriend as he moved about the store, overjoyed just by the simple act of buying candles.

Maybe candles wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

**OO2. Roses**

Ferdinand had never had a green thumb, which is why he found it so impressive that Hubert seemed to be a master of growing plants in their apartment.

They had no yard to call their own in the relatively small space they called their own, but that hadn’t deterred Hubert from lining shelves and tables with as many plants as humanly possible. In the kitchen, instead of a traditional spice rack, sat three shelves on the wall of fresh herbs and spices ready for Ferdinand to use when he made them dinner each night (and Ferdinand thinks Hubert does something with them at his altar, but he isn’t sure about the details). Then along the window sills in each room were many succulents, drinking up sunlight throughout the day. Finally there were the flowers that Hubert grew specifically at Ferdinand’s behest (“Wouldn’t it be nice just to have a pot of tea roses in the kitchen?” had unleashed a gardening beast in Hubert).

Before living with Hubert, the most that Ferdinand had taken care of was a small cactus, a plant that required minimum effort on his own part, and yet he’d still nearly killed it before his boyfriend had intervened to save the poor thing. The reprimanding Ferdinand had received had left him reeling for hours afterwards (it was as if he’d murdered a person!)

But now that he was surrounded by plants every day, Ferdinand couldn’t imagine his home any other way. They truly made the apartment feel more like home, relaxing him as soon as he came home from a particularly stressful day at work. At times he’d sit at the kitchen table and just look at the small tea roses Hubert had grown for him, gazing lovingly at their soft pink petals. Generally Hubert only grew plants for practical reasons (when Ferdinand once asked about the practical use of a succulent, Hubert was quick to list off facts about purifying oxygen and improving humidity and a bunch of other things that Ferdinand thought maybe he’d just read on a factually-questionable online article). But the flowers were grown just for him, to make _him_ happy.

So maybe Ferdinand started to bring home more plants for him as gifts. Anything that caught his eye, he’d purchase and present them to Hubert with a smile. And when Hubert would bashfully accept them, telling him, “Ferdinand we don’t really need any more plants, you idiot…”

Ferdinand knew he actually appreciated the gesture.

**OO3. Melody**

The first song Ferdinand played when they started to unpack their apartment was “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, and Hubert was quickly rethinking his new living arrangement.

When Ferdinand started singing loudly as he unwrapped their cups and their other assorted dishes, before putting them away in a completely disorganized way that Hubert would later have to go back and fix, Hubert felt the need to step into the bedroom and slam his head on the wall. If Ferdinand heard him he never commented on it.

The rest of the playlist he listened to that afternoon was filled with over-processed pop songs that Hubert couldn’t care to really listen to. He tried to block them out to the best of his ability, not commenting on their obnoxious beats and repetitive lyrics. It was made harder when Ferdinand would get distracted and get too into the songs he was singing. At one point he’d wrapped his arms around Hubert’s waist, snuggling his face into his boyfriend’s shoulder with a laugh, filled with a joy that Hubert couldn’t understand after a day of unpacking.

“What has got you so excited? Don’t you ever tire out, Ferdinand?” Hubert turned around in Ferdinand’s arms, moving to place his arms around Ferdinand to pull him in closer.

“I’m just… so happy, I don’t know how to properly express myself to you!” Ferdinand’s smile lit up the room, complimenting the sunset streaming through the red gauzy curtains that Hubert had hung earlier in the afternoon. “We’ve gotten so much done today, and you’ve been so wonderfully patient with me all day. I am just so, unbelievably happy Hubert.”

And in that moment, all of the music faded away, and Hubert couldn’t help from leaning down to press a kiss to Ferdinand’s lips, smiling into it all the while. And then Ferdinand returned the kiss with great fervor, moving his arms from Hubert’s waist to wrap around his neck. They were as close as they could be, basking in the sensation of their lips pressing and moving against one another.

When Ferdinand pulled away to take a breath, a blush dust across his freckled cheeks, he had to avert his eyes to collect himself and not get completely overwhelmed by his love for his boyfriend. Hubert smiled down at his love and raised a hand to brush a thumb along his cheek, taking in the warmth of Ferdinand's skin. Maybe he could suffer a lifetime of awful music if it meant being able to taste those lips every day.

(Thankfully he found out the next day that Ferdinand listened to a lot more than just pop. A bonus.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> • Hubert plays at being a green witch, but he knows more than he lets on about black magic (he doesn't want to scare Ferdinand).  
> • Ferdinand's favorite band to listen to is actually Fall Out Boy. Obviously he and Hubert's song is "American Beauty/American Psycho" (but he means that as a joke).  
> • If Ferdinand bought Yankee Candles, his favorite candle would be Home Sweet Home. Hubert would be a slut for Balsam and Cedar. Yes, hello, I used to be a Yankee Candle employee and I love to profile people (and I will profile any character tbh).  
> • What has Hubert been listening to lately? Probably "The Horror and the Wild" by The Amazing Devil.


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Section OO4 (titled "Looking Glass") contains sexual content, so if you'd like to avoid that and just enjoy a story full of light-hearted and fluffy feelings, feel free to skip that section.

**OO4. Looking Glass**  
Before they’d agreed to move in together, Hubert’s one request was that he’d be allowed to decorate their bedroom. Ferdinand had, of course, seen his previous apartment’s bedroom and knew vaguely what was in store for him. He didn’t want to say that Hubert’s aesthetic was “creepy”, but it didn’t necessarily do anything for him.

And if he made it a point to close their bedroom door every time Dorothea visited to make sure she didn’t comment on the “freaky stuff” Hubert must be into, well that was just a secret he kept to himself.

Their bed took up most of the room, since Hubert had insisted on keeping his king-size mattress and the black iron bed frame that accompanied it. It sat pressed up against the left wall, covered in soft black sheets, with a window allowing the early morning sunlight to stream in to wake them up each morning. As much as Ferdinand had at first griped about how it was a waste of the limited space they had, he couldn’t deny the appeal when they were actually in the bed together.

Then came the decor of the room. Thankfully they hadn’t required more than one dresser, as they did have a rather sizable closet to share. But to say that Hubert’s tastes were “unique” to the average person would be an understatement.

The first thing that would draw anyone’s eye upon entering the room was the oversized triple moon mirror that hung over their bed. Ferdinand wasn’t sure what the actual meaning behind the mirror was, though Hubert had tried to explain it to him several times (something about Goddesses), but what Ferdinand did know was that Hubert loved to raise Ferdinand’s face to catch his eyes in the mirror as they made love.

He’d whisper in his ear, “You’re absolutely beautiful, my dear. Look at yourself, tell me what you see.”

Usually Ferdinand would be too blissed out to form an answer, so Hubert would have to drag one out of him. He’d bite at his neck, forcing more moans out of Ferdinand, and when he’d try to close his eyes in pleasure Hubert would command him to open them again and ask the question again. Ferdinand would try to respond, telling Hubert that he saw himself in the hands of the man he loved. He’d tell Hubert that he looked wanton and debauched and Hubert would tut and tell him to dig deeper, to find another word, something dirtier for him. He’d tell Ferdinand to let go of his formalities for him.

And Ferdinand would. He’d admit to anything for Hubert in those moments.

It was after a few of these moments that Hubert started to add to the first altars he’d put in the room. Originally he’d had two set up, one to Hades that Ferdinand hadn't questions (mostly because he _didn't want to know_ ) and another to Demeter and Persephone to guard his plants. But he felt that he needed to add yet another, and so for Ferdinand he created an altar to Aphrodite. In the center sat a statue in her likeness, surrounded by shells in various shades of soft whites and pinks. Next he’d added pearls and petal pink candles. Before they’d have sex he’d wordlessly place two drops of patchouli oil on each candle and set them alight before turning to Ferdinand with a smile.

Ferdinand didn’t know what the meaning behind the action was, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t fill his heart with warmth and leave him smiling the entire time Hubert was inside of him.

**OO5. Sentimental**  
Something Hubert hadn’t realized about Ferdinand before moving in with him was his penchant for collecting knick knacks. Anytime they were out shopping and the younger man passed by something particularly cute or something he was interested in at the moment, he’d pull on Hubert’s sleeve and ask if it was in their budget to buy it. This meant that Ferdinand had a bookshelf in their living room covered in a wide variety of items.

A few things came with Ferdinand when he had first moved in. An old floral vase adorned with a string of pearls that had belonged to his grandmother, a golden metal eye that was about a foot in length that served no real purpose, and a novelty candle in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. It was all just strange things that didn’t mesh together, except for the singular thread that was “things that made Ferdinand von Aegir happy”.

But a month into living together, Ferdinand’s first addition to the bookshelf came. They’d been shopping at Target when out of the corner of his eye Ferdinand had spotted the tell-tale sign of yellow and black pointed ears. With a noise of glee, he moved away from Hubert’s side and made his way into the toy aisle, taking hold of the stuffed Pikachu before holding it up to Hubert with the enthusiasm of a child.

“Hubert, look at him! Isn’t he simply the greatest?” Ferdinand turned the plush around in his hands to take in more of the details, “I presume you are more of a Mimikyu fan yourself, but you can never go wrong with a Pikachu.”

How could Hubert possibly have said no to him when he was so excited over something as insignificant as a stuffed Pikachu?

Next came the first bottle of wine the two of them shared, a bottle of Merlot that Hubert had picked up on his way home from work to surprise Ferdinand with. To say that Ferdinand had been overjoyed by the gesture would be an understatement. Rushing into the kitchen, he’d procured the corkscrew and opened the bottle right away before getting started on their dinner. Once the bottle was finished by the end of the night, before curling up on the couch with Hubert, he made sure to rinse out the bottle and place it safely on the shelf.

And so his collection grew with time, with some items being just random things he found interesting and others holding sentimental value.

But Hubert knew that all of them held his heart.

**OO6. Rituals**  
Ferdinand had possibly the best boyfriend in the entire world. No, he _knew_ he had the best boyfriend in the entire world.

Ferdinand had never been a morning person, so why he’d ever accepted a job that started at 8AM was beyond his comprehension. Of course he was lucky enough to leave by 4PM, but the early hours still felt painful every morning. Lucky for him, then, that Hubert had always been simultaneously an early bird and a night owl.

**Read:** he somehow didn’t require sleep like a regular human being.

What did this mean for Ferdinand? It meant that every morning, when Hubert tried to wake him up, and he responded with ‘Just five more minutes’, Hubert would chuckle before heading off to the kitchen to get his morning tea ready. Every day he’d prepare a simple breakfast blend of black tea, allowing for just a touch of caffeine to enter Ferdinand’s system before he had to head off to work. When he’d finally drag himself out of bed, Hubert would always be waiting for him at the table, tea ready and waiting. Ferdinand would try his best to send him a smile (though it was always difficult at 6 o’clock in the morning) before slumping down into the chair to start adding sugar into his mug.

Once his tea was consumed and Ferdinand himself was feeling a little more human, he would then get himself ready before returning the favor. Hubert didn’t require coffee to function in the morning, he just enjoyed the heat and the taste and maybe he also enjoyed having his boyfriend take the time before he left for work to bring him a cup of simple, black coffee with the added bonus of a kiss each morning.

And so it had become their ritual each day that Hubert would prepare Ferdinand’s tea before he crawled out of bed, and after Ferdinand was showered and ready for the day he’d prepare a fresh cup of coffee for his love as well.

**OO7. Spotless**  
To say that Hubert was the neater of the pair would be an understatement. Before Ferdinand and he had moved in together, the young man constantly left his dirty laundry on the floor, dishes in the sink, and the occasional beverage on the coffee table, and it drove Hubert mad.

So when they agreed to move in together, Hubert had made it a rule that chores had to be done in a timely manner, and they had a strict schedule to follow.

Because Ferdinand cooked dinner each night, Hubert would be the one to wash the dishes. At first Ferdinand had been ecstatic about the arrangement, until he realized that it left him sitting on the couch, twiddling his thumbs alone while Hubert worked. And so the chore quickly changed. Ferdinand would collect their dishes, Hubert would wash them, and Ferdinand would then dry them to speed the process along. After all, the faster the dishes got done, the faster he could climb into his boyfriend’s lap and snuggle up as they watched television together (hopefully one of Hubert’s silly crime shows, so he could pretend to get scared and get extra attention).

Next came laundry, a task which Hubert had assigned to Ferdinand. He was to do the laundry every Sunday, that way they’d have clean clothes for the start of the new week. Usually Hubert would have to poke and prod his boyfriend to actually complete the task. Thankfully since they started living together Ferdinand had made it a point to actually put his clothing in the hamper they shared, but he still made comments about having to carry the laundry all the way to the laundry room in the basement of their building and having to figure out where he’d put all of his quarters. Hubert almost wondered if it was in his best interest to just do the laundry himself to avoid Ferdinand’s bitching.

And then there was Saturday, where they cleaned the apartment together. The floors were swept, the carpets were vacuumed, Ferdinand took a rose-scented cleaner to the counter tops and stove in the kitchen while Hubert scrubbed the bathroom to a pristine state. Every surface was dusted and every window was washed. Their apartment was always left spotless by the end of their efforts. To keep Ferdinand happy, Hubert would allow him to play his music. Ferdinand would keep his mood up by singing along to whatever he played and at times taking a moment to serenade his boyfriend.

This particular weekend came with some song that Hubert couldn’t name, but Ferdinand was clearly trying too hard to relate to him.

“I know a girl who likes to drink her coffee black, ‘cause sugar, no, she don't got time for that!” And so he sang as he helped with their chores, sliding a mop around the kitchen floor in a messy pattern while Hubert looked on with a look of affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:
> 
> • Part of me wants to write a side piece for this AU that's just 100% smut, because that's just the type of person I am. But this particular place wasn't that spot to do that. Oops.  
> • You can't tell me that Hubert doesn't love Mimikyu. Though I can't decide if he'd be more of a ghost-type trainer or a poison-type trainer. That being said I'm also conflicted with Ferdinand and whether he'd be more inclined to use fire or electric types.  
> • I feel like Hubert is definitely the type to drink his coffee black. He's probably the pretentious type that judges people in Starbucks for ordering caramel lattes, let's be real (while Ferdinand is off to the side ordering a mocha cookie crumble frap).  
> • Ferdinand's tea schedule: English Breakfast tea in the morning with sugar, a spearmint-green tea around 10AM, an overly sweet berry herbal tea in the afternoon (that he still adds sugar to), and at night he drinks chamomile.  
> • The song at the end is "Kids Again" by Artist vs. Poet


End file.
